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Acetate biostimulation as an effective treatment for cleaning up alkaline soil highly contaminated with Cr(VI)

  • 4th International Symposium on Environmental Biotechnology and Engineering-2014
  • Published:
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Abstract

Stimulation of microbial reduction of Cr(VI) to the less toxic and less soluble Cr(III) through electron donor addition has been regarded as a promising approach for the remediation of chromium-contaminated soil and groundwater sites. However, each site presents different challenges; local physicochemical characteristics and indigenous microbial communities influence the effectiveness of the biostimulation processes. Here, we show microcosm assays stimulation of microbial reduction of Cr(VI) in highly alkaline and saline soil samples from a long-term contaminated site in Guanajuato, Mexico. Acetate was effective promoting anaerobic microbial reduction of 15 mM of Cr(VI) in 25 days accompanied by an increase in pH from 9 to 10. Our analyses showed the presence of Halomonas, Herbaspirillum, Nesterenkonia/Arthrobacter, and Bacillus species in the soil sample collected. Moreover, from biostimulated soil samples, it was possible to isolate Halomonas spp. strains able to grow at 32 mM of Cr(VI). Additionally, we found that polluted groundwater has bacterial species different to those found in soil samples with the ability to resist and reduce chromate using acetate and yeast extract as electron donors.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by PAPIIT-UNAM IN208912 grant. LP was the recipient of a CONACyT fellowship. We thank Raunel Tinoco for technical support; Margarita Gutiérrez-Ruiz and Laboratory of Physical and Chemical Analyses of the Environment, Geography Institute; and UNAM, for Cr total quantification. Oligonucleotides and automated sequencing was performed at the Unit for DNA Sequence and Synthesis of the Biotechnology Institute, UNAM.

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  1. Enrique Morett

    Present address: Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Periférico Sur No. 4809, Col. Arenal Tepepan, Delegación Tlalpan, 14610, México, Distrito Federal, Mexico

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  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Celular y Biocatálisis, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001. Col. Chamilpa, 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

    Paloma Lara, Enrique Morett & Katy Juárez

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  1. Paloma Lara
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Lara, P., Morett, E. & Juárez, K. Acetate biostimulation as an effective treatment for cleaning up alkaline soil highly contaminated with Cr(VI). Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 25513–25521 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7191-2

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